NFI Industries reduces collision frequency by more than 50% with Lytx

The DriveCam difference

As a leading international provider of transportation logistics, warehousing, and distribution services, NFI Industries handles thousands of shipments for its customers every week. And because it accomplishes this with a vast fleet of 2,200 trucks, 7,000 trailers, and 2,800 drivers in need of protection, the company’s number-one priority is undoubtedly its safety program.

“The major goal of any safety program is to make sure that your employees get home every night,” said Craig Bollinger, sr. vice president of risk management for NFI Industries.

Safety Analyst, Heather Bennett, adds, “Safety is very important to us because it keeps overall costs low—fewer accidents, less fines, and low CSA scores are all very important as far as keeping us out there on the road.”

In researching driver safety solutions that would support its strong commitment to safety, NFI selected the Lytx^® Driver Safety program. “We decided to test the program, and what we saw was an astounding reduction in incidents,” said Sidney Brown, chief executive officer for NFI Industries.

This early result led the company to officially deploy the Driver Safety Program throughout its fleet.

Drivers love the Driver Safety Program

While some drivers are initially resistant to video event recording, NFI drivers immediately embraced it.

“The feedback from the drivers has been extremely positive,” said Bollinger. “Most of them will tell you that they want the DriveCam [event recorders] in their trucks.” They understand that the program isn’t an invasive tool, but a training tool—as well as an opportunity to protect them and the company from events on the road that are outside their control.

In fact, thanks to having the DriveCam event recorders in their vehicles, Vice President of Safety and Loss Control Lee Robledo reports that some NFI drivers have been exonerated when involved in a collision.

Brown recalled one such incident. “When a woman ran a stop sign in front of our driver, he was able to divert his truck to hit her car closer to the rear. He actually did a hero’s job of avoiding a fatality.”

Brown had the opportunity to talk with the driver. “He said, ‘We’re tired of being blamed for things we never did. I love these event recorders because they show that we are really good drivers—and a lot of times we don’t get the credit for how good we are.’”

Knowing the truth inspires safer driving

With the Driver Safety Program, NFI has an unbiased witness that tells the truth about what happens in its fleet—and the actionable intelligence and insight it needs to change driver behavior for the better.

“We’ve learned from the data that the program provides,” said Robledo. “We can focus on the areas that we need to improve.” As a result, the company has seen a 75% reduction in traffic violations, a 67% reducition in following distance, and a 39% reduction in cell phone use.

“Whether we’re right or wrong, the video event recorder doesn’t lie,” remarked Brown. And according to Bennett, this is precisely what helps drivers become aware of risky behaviors so they can begin to change them.

“We can see exactly what happened, what we could do to prevent it from happening again, and whose fault it was overall,” said Bennett about the video event clips. She explained that when drivers view the videos and are coached, they see things that they didn’t necessarily know they were doing. And with this new awareness, they’re able to do things differently next time.

As a result, Bollinger said, “The amount of claims that the [Driver Safety] Program has helped us to reduce has far outweighed any claims regarding our drivers’ liability, and it’s really reinforcing how well our drivers drive out there. It’s supported and strengthened our safety program overall.”

Lytx is a game changer

So far, NFI has seen a 58% reduction in collisons with the Driver Safety program. Because of this, Bollinger reports, “We’re converting our entire fleet over to the [Driver Safety] program. We can’t wait to put the event recorders in.”

“It’s a game changer,” Robledo confirms. “Companies would be doing a disservice to themselves if they didn’t at least pilot the program in their fleet to understand the safety benefits that it could bring to their operation.”

Brown agrees. “If I were to talk to fellow CEOs in the trucking business about whether or not the [Lytx Driver Safety] program is a good investment, and will provide a good return on invested dollars, I would say that you should try it. You get better utilization out of your trucks, the drivers earn more, you have less administrative people having to deal with all the issues, and less lawyers lawyering cases.”

Most importantly, Brown adds, “If we can create changes in behavior with our drivers, then we’re doing a good thing for the public.”